


As the Nemesis Falls

by sparklight



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Shattered Glass
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-05
Updated: 2013-11-05
Packaged: 2017-12-31 15:02:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1033069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparklight/pseuds/sparklight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Starscream and Cliffjumper on the bridge of the Nemesis as it hurtles towards Earth, trying to make sure the crash doesn't kill anyone.</p>
<p>Somehow, Cliffjumper ends up comforting the Acting Commander of the Earth mission.</p>
            </blockquote>





	As the Nemesis Falls

You'd think hurtling towards a planet's surface in an out-of-control ship wouldn't be a regular feature of your life, but instead of not happening even once, it hadn't just happened _once_ it was now happening _again_. With an angry grumble of his engine, Cliffjumper gripped the controls for the lateral thrusters harder and felt the metal dent just the faintest underneath his hand.

It was fraggin' _distracting_ to have the sky go from vacuum-black to atmosphere-blue and rushing layers of white-gray in various textures flow past them outside of the _Nemesis_ , but compared to the _last_ (first) time this happened, there were actual things to hit.

Cities, farms, _people_ (admittedly there'd been animals to hit last time, but the possible impact of that had never really registered). And this time they weren't engaged in a smelting all-out battle on the bridge with the Decepticons as Optimus set the _Ark_ for a crash-course towards Earth's surface.

This time they were hurtling towards the surface in a ship with minimal direct control from a fragging _fusion bomb_ \- when in the rusting scrap-metal Matrix did the humans get _fusion bombs_?! Gritting his teeth, Cliffjumper shook his helm. 

Concentrate.

All they needed to do was crash the stupid ship somewhere there weren't humans and where they would hopefully be able to get out of the ship at least somewhat easily – hence why any of the oceans were a bad choice, and they'd passed the Atlantic just now anyway, aimed squarely at lower-middle North America and wasn't _that_ just another deja vu---

The _Nemesis_ trembled and sort of listed to the side a bit.

" _Starscream_ , frag it---!" Cliffjumper snapped and jerked his helm around, and then swallowed the rest of his intended tirade. Not just because the ship had righted up again but also because Starscream turned to look at him with a tight, drawn expression on his faceplate, the angles harsher even than the emergency lights (barely functional) should make them, his optics washed out.

"I apologise. I'm usually not on a crashing ship with as little control as this." The smile was downright _pathetic_ , and his hand on his own controls (for the bow and stern thrusters) tighter than Cliffjumper's grip, which meant there were visible dents even in the flickering lights of the hardly-even-on-emergency-power bridge.

Great. 

He was _not_ made for this, because even he could tell what Starscream wasn't saying - the fact that a lot of humans would die if they ended up in the wrong spot, and he was probably worried for the crew as well, and this was all still so fragging _weird_.

"Hey."

Starscream slowly turned back to face him, mouth forming around an acknowledgement Cliffjumper didn't let him get out as he stared at the rushing view outside of distant smeared ground slowly taking on more discernible features. Which wasn't good.

"They're gonna be okay, all right? We just need _one_ of 'em to crash in a relatively good condition, and the pods'll do what it can and give 'em a new altmode, and they'll get the rest of the crew. Then they can get _us_ , if we get knocked out."

Blue optics flickered at the edge of his visual field, and the wingparts on Starscream's arms drooped a little as static washed out under the shearing sound of emergency klaxon.

"I--I know. But..."

"No fraggin' _buts_!" Cliffjumper let go quickly enough of one of his controls to slash a hand through the air. "Look, last time this happened _no one_ was steerin' the smeltin' ship and we just crashed in a _volcano_! Sure, there weren't people around, but we could've crashed in the water like the _Ark_ did just now! We're steerin' this thing, so _we ain't gonna hit anyone_ , okay?"

Gripping his controls again, Cliffjumper grimaced and glanced aside and upwards - shouldn't have, because Starscream's optics were large and the glow was soft and that stupid mouth which he was more used to seeing it sneering or yelling was as soft as the glow in his _blue optics_ and he just looked... vulnerable.

"So can it with your _insecurity_ and concentrate, all right? Even if we get knocked out and buried, the others'll get us and we'll kick the fraggin' rust-heap wannabees' behinds and then when Cybertron's through that smeltin' nebula we'll contact them again and get back there and you can---" Cutting himself off, Cliffjumper shrugged even as he slid down in his seat some.

"Can make sure Megatron's okay. So, uh. Don't worry 'bout it, okay?"

He did _not_ flinch at the brush of a white hand against his arm, and Starscream did him the favour of pretending he hadn't, and Cliffjumper stubbornly ignored the sudden bright flash of Starscream's smile in the gloom. It seemed to fragging light up the bridge on all its own!

"Of course, Cliffjumper, you're right. Let's bring this bird down!"

He couldn't _quite_ swallow his groan because _Primus spare him_ from overdramatic slaggers and---

What had he just _done_?

He hadn't _seriously_ comforted _Starscream_ of all mechs, had he?!

Even if it was a negative polarity one and he'd also _reassured him he'd get to make sure_ Megatron was okay again. How did these things even _happen_? And then the ground was definitely too close to spend any more time on ruminating about how things had gone lately, or Megatron and Starscream's strange and flipped relationship or _anything_ really.

"We need more time! Pull up on the starboard, if we can just clear this, there's a stretch of desert beyond that seems uninhabited!"

There would probably be a slagging mountain to crash into too, Primus frag it all.


End file.
